The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Monarda plant botanically known as Monarda didyma and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Balbalmink’.
The new cultivar originated in a controlled breeding program in Guadalupe, Calif. The objective of the breeding program was the development of Monarda cultivars that are early flowering, have good powdery mildew resistance, and a compact growth habit.
The new Monarda cultivar is an irradiation-induced sport of Balmy Purple ‘Balbalmurp’, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,561, characterized by its dark purple-colored inflorescences, dark green-colored foliage having good powdery mildew resistance, and moderately vigorous, upright-compact growth habit. The irradiation occurred on May 2011. The new cultivar was discovered as a side shoot and selected during September 2012 in a controlled environment in Guadalupe, Calif.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal stem cuttings since September 2012 in Guadalupe, Calif. and Elburn, Ill. has demonstrated that the new cultivar reproduces true to type with all of the characteristics, as herein described, firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of such asexual propagation.